


A Matter of Perspective

by Neekou



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 11:56:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12817017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neekou/pseuds/Neekou
Summary: He was well-spoken and quick to anger before Sarah Williams challenged his Labyrinth; her presence did little to quell his fury.





	A Matter of Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE 11/29/17.   
> This work will feature two chapters entailing Jareth's perspective during the events of Labyrinth.  
> I'm currently working on yet another fic that includes all of the wonderful stuff that happens afterwards.

   "Goblin King, Goblin King!"

   Words whispered fervently in the back of his mind, more so a sensation than an actual distraction. He felt her words rather than heard them, accompanied by the familiar tug to the Aboveground. It was not the first time a human had called into the void - and Jareth had no misconception that it would be the last. _This_ voice, he notes, had more conviction than any he'd heard previously. _A passionate spirit_. The Goblin King remains seated languidly atop his throne, one leg thrown precariously over the armrest on the left side. He listens further, though it was infinitely more difficult to perceive when addressed  _incorrectly._ This human, whoever they were, hadn't the slightest idea about what they were doing. Thinly veiled amusement allowed the corner of his mouth to twitch upwards; it lasted less than a second or two.

   "I wish," Jareth murmurs to himself, as if to coax the proper words. His gaze wanders about the empty throne room and finds great appreciation in being left alone at this hour. Goblins, as doting as they seemed to be, were better left to the castle's lower levels. Despite his cruel words and sometimes  _crueler_ actions, his little creatures prefered to be in his presence. There were times that Jareth considered inquiring further, though he had no inclination to encourage any more discussion between them. They had little to offer in terms of wit and he had an even lesser amount of patience for stupidity.

   "I wish the goblins _would_  come and take you away. Right now."

   No sooner than she'd stepped from the room, Jareth was there. Keen eyes watched from the tree beside the window as talons gripped at the branch beneath him, carving minute pathways to show where he'd been. She's back inside, flicking at the lightswitch. Thunder rumbles and she is afraid. _They're always afraid_ , he decides. 

   "Toby?"

   She calls for him and he's well aware she's already given him up for lost - curious as to how such  _venom_ had drained so quickly. She gasps and he's rattling against the window like a frightened animal; great wings beat furiously against glass until both windowpanes open. The girl cowers before him and he stands with hands on his hips. He had a curious penchant for theatrics and a small part of him drew that comparison between them. 

 _My kingdom is as great,_ she'd said. He could remember her from the park earlier in the day, dressed in silly costumes and shouting words she did not understand into the wind. _Powerful phrases_ \- and familiar enough to bring him from beyond her realm. The fae notes that her previous disposition had escaped her. Standing before him, with arms wrapped tightly around her middle, was nothing but a cowering little girl. The smirk that spreads across his face is not as vicious as one would expect, though it holds very little warmth. And his eyes, trained precariously upon her with the intensity of a stalking beast, did not waver when she spoke. Jareth is certain he shows very little surprise at her plead, as he's heard that very same request in that very same tone for a thousand years. 

_I didn't mean it. Bring them back. I was just angry. I didn't think it would really happen. Please._

   But the King of the Goblins had little time for pleading. He had a kingdom to maintain - a goblin horde to feed. He would waste no time in dismissing this girl, he thinks. But her words are insistent. She begs and pleads and  _demands_ his faithful return. Brows arch in question, yet the King knows he does well to school his expression. A crystal is procured between gloved fingers; an image dances just beyond her line of sight, though he knows it calls to her. She refuses his gift. His jaw sets slightly; a serpent curls around his hand where the orb had been before he casts it towards her. She screams and he knows her name. 

_Sarah Williams._

   Unease was an unfamiliar sensation, though one he knew on occasion. As she stepped into the realm of his kingdom to overlook the Labyrinth, Jareth notes that she does not look back - save to meet his gaze. His lips twitch in what  _feels_ like annoyance as she continues to tread forward, standing at the edge of a small precipice. She murmurs something about it not being so far and his temper rises. The King swallows whatever retort and shifts to stand behind her, reveling in the way she flinches from his closeness and the breath against her neck. He explains the game and its only rule. 

_Thirteen hours._

 " Such a pity. " Words are spoken twice - and Jareth finds himself lamenting the forthcoming loss. His voice is in the wind as she turns from him and descends into the Labyrinth, determined to find her brother. From the window of his throne room, he watches her slow journey to the dwarf's hut. While he made a habit of watching the runners as they traversed his traps and succumbed to his treachery, something unknown bubbled up from deep, deep within. A runner with such fire would be sure to give him the show he'd been waiting for; her vigor would only make seeing her defeat all the more pleasurable. While Jareth did not feed upon their misery, he found a certain level of self-satisfaction in knowing that they could not overcome his wit. Death was an important piece of the puzzle - and despite their insignificant presence, he did not wish harm upon those who took the gauntlet. The Labyrinth was not to be underestimated, as it was an odd, sentient being. The easier you presumed your quest to be, the harder it became. It bent to his will - to a point. After a thousand years, Jareth couldn't contain its magic entirely, though he had found a sort of common ground. Neither asked too much of the other and their magic had an interesting habit of intertwining. Within the Labyrinth, the Goblin King was at his strongest. It was unexplainable.

   Over the next few hours, he can see her become frustrated. It's a familiar sight, though it brings the slightest feeling of disappointment. From her brave, albeit  _foolish_ words, he'd half-expected her to have already solved the Labyrinth. Her heedless wandering left little to the imagination and he scowls at the crystal within his grasp. Sarah turns her to peer at the direction of twin voices and the maze shifts at her back to prevent her from backtracking. Jareth hisses in annoyance; for a moment it had almost seemed as though she was being guided. The Goblin King knew better than to suspect the Labyrinth of betrayal, though he can't help but feel the slightest nagging of doubt settle within. There was no reason to allow this child a luxury never afforded to another creature in its depths. He wrinkles his nose in disgust at the sudden, leering presence of the goblins at his feet. When they'd returned to him, he honestly couldn't say. Peering eyes and chattering mouths brought him out of whatever reverie Sarah's progress had dragged him into; he snarls impatiently, raising a hand to swat at whichever goblin decided to encroach upon his space. Sarah steps through the door and is brought beneath the ground, grasping desperately at the sentient hands that lined the cavern.

 _The oubliette_.

   "She should not have gotten as far as the oubliette."

   And Hoggle is sent to retrieve the girl and force her back to the entrance of the Labyrinth. Her expression shifts into one of relief at the sight of him; Jareth's lips drag into a cruel grin, knowing he'd bested yet another unfortunate creature. He shifts into the tunnels beside the oubliette and becomes something less than himself. The King sits against the adjacent wall in wait, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sarah's hope before the dwarf betrayed her trust. His sneaking suspicion becomes something akin to savagery as he catches sight of them together; whatever Hoggle had planned was not what they'd agreed upon. Jareth didn't know  _how_ he knew, he just did. The King tears off his mask to confront the hideous creature, who all but cowers before him. He threatens and the dwarf begs for mercy.

_As it should be._

   He turns to Sarah, lips poised in that infuriating smirk, though his question is genuine. His steps are slow and deliberate; Jareth rests a forearm against the brick beside her head and regards her with the entirety of his attention. It never failed to unnerve the goblins, yet this girl exceeds his meager expectations of her. 

   "And you, Sarah - how are you enjoying my Labyrinth?"

   And her brows furrow with that same defiance she'd been shoving in his face since the beginning. Her fire burns bright and burns _deep_.

   "It's a piece of cake."

   He can feel his jaw clench at her reply, making the slightest noise of derision before the clock appears behind him and the hours remaining continue to dwindle at his will. Sarah cries out in objection, though it only serves to fuel his desire to make her  _suffer._ Patience had never been a quality Jareth was well known for; the foolish girl seemed rather keen on pressing her luck, to which Jareth would answer. The fae circles Sarah for a moment before allowing a small shrug of his shoulders. If his Labyrinth was too easy, he muses, he would certainly endeavour to make it more of a challenge for her. With the slightest curling of his fingers, Jareth has shifted out of the tunnel and strewn himself rather  _haughtily_ into his throne once again. There was little point in conjuring a crystal to watch her, as he was well aware that she had somehow managed to escape the cleaners - though his intent was never to harm her, despite what she might think. But the longer he remained, the greater his desire to watch her progress became. To put him off of the subject, the Goblin King listens to the idiotic chatter of the smaller goblins with Toby. He takes the boy into his arms and toys with him for a short time before he finds the crystal in his hand without having called for it. Her image displays across the surface before he's spoken her name, but Jareth finds himself enthralled nonetheless.

   Words are murmured beneath his breath, as though taunting the girl with the little brother he sought to keep from her. With a quiet curse, he hands off the boy to seek out Hoggle. The dwarf does not expect him, though the King is not one to be expected; he simply  _appears._ Jareth threatens and Hoggle agrees to his ploy. The peach was certain to damn her, he decides. While it had been easy for Sarah to cast aside her dreams when he held them out to her, it would be an entirely different game once she'd already had a taste. Lips curl upwards in satisfaction when he finally senses that Sarah has taken the bait. Her dreams are unknown to him, though he's more than capable of inserting himself when he finds her in such a state.

   Jareth has never had an issue with manipulation.


End file.
